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A 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

/of 



WILLIAM PENN 



THE FOUNDER OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



BY 

HON. A. L. HAYES, A. M 



LANCASTER, PA.: 

PRINTED BT PEARSOL & GEIST. 
iS73- 



t IS 



1 



"2, 



WILLIAM PENN. 



The great men of every nation, whether sages, warriors,, 
lawgivers, artists, or authors, may be regarded as the land- 
marks of its history. Their characters are among its inval- 
uable treasures ; and as they pass away, each furnishing his 
contribution to the universal fund of moral and intellectual 
wealth, they enlarge the circle of benefactions to mankind 
by leaving imperishable examples ,of virtue. For the rich 
legacy of their fame, surviving generations, in bestowing the 
meed of praise which is due, but magnify their own posses- 
sions. io «Qmm@morate and detend their memory, is the 
interest, as well as the duty, of those who come after them.* 

Of all the titles to veneration of the great and good, who 
are distinguished in the world's annals as national benefac- 
tors, none, in my judgment, is so lofty and honorable, (next 
to that of the Father of his country,) as in the phrase of 
Lord Bacon, the conditor imperiorum^ the Founder of a State. 
No other is so identified with the glory of his country, even 
when his personal history is involved in myth and fable, like, 
that of Eomulus, the Founder of Eome, or Lycurgus, of 
Lacedaemon. 

In modern history, the title has been, it may be said, 
exclusively bestowed upon the subject of this sketch, the 
illustrious William Penn. In the origin of every political 
society, there have been some one or more prominent men, 
whose preeminence is conceded. So in the settlement of the 
provinces that now compose this great confederated Union ; 
in all of which, it were easy to point out the leading spirits 
of the respective communities, who gave them their form 
and pressure, and shaped their special destiny. But in no 
*See Mr. Binney's Eulogium on C. J. Tilgliman. 



(4) 

other instance has any great man stood forth in such high 
relief, in relation to the beginning and establishment of a 
tjommonwealth, as William Penn in regard to Pennsylvania. 
By acquiring a charter title, as proprietary — a title to the 
government as well as the soil — by having his name inscribed 
upon the territory, by mainly contributing to its first settle- 
ment, and by organizing its government with signal wisdom 
and ability, he is more emphatically cognizable as the founder 
of this State, than has ever occurred to any other personage, 
with respect to any state or kingdom of which authentic 
history bears record. This is a glorious distinction for 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; and well may she 
boast of her Founder ; tor a purer, braver, gentler, and m6re 
generous nature, has rarely appeared to bless mankind by 
his good deeds, and refresh the world with his beneficent 
example. 

The father of William Penn was a man of rank and of 
great reputation, both in the military and naval service of 
his country, and a favorite ofiicer of the government which 
he served. Few men have risen more rapidly, or pursued a 
more brilliant career. He entered the navy of England early 
in life, was a captain at twenty-one years of age, Rear- 
Admiral of Ireland at twenty-three, Vice- Admiral of Ireland 
at twenty-five. Vice- Admiral of England at thirty one, and 
General in the Dutch war at thirty-two. He was sub- 
sequently elected a member of Parliament, for the Town of 
Weymouth. At thirty-nine, he was appointed Commissioner 
of the Admiralty and Navy, Governor of the Town and Fort 
of Kingsale, in Ireland, Vice-Admiral of Munster, and a 
member of the Provincial Council. In his forty-third year, 
he was chosen Great Captain Commander, under the Duke 
of York, in the signal and successful naval battle with the 
Dutch fleet in 166-1. 

William Penn was the only son of this distinguished man. 
From his earliest youth, he was remarkable for an amiable 
and excellent disposition, was docile and uncommonly apt; 
and he grew up inform and feature, all that his fond parents 
could desire, with that harmonious union of faculties, 



(5 ) 

physical, intellectual, and moral, which is often described as 
mens sana in corpore sano, and is justly considered as the 
happiest condition of our nature. With a mind open to the 
incitements of ambition, nourished by success, as was Sir 
William Penn's, such a son must have been regarded by 
him as the complement of his good fortune ; more especi- 
ally as it was the well known intention of the Sovereign to 
reward his patriotic services, by raising him to the peerage, 
with the title of Viscount Weymouth. He therefore resolved 
that nothing should be spared in his son's education, to 
qualify him to act a shining part in public life, and wear 
with grace his hereditary honors. Being well prepared by 
a thorough academical course of instruction, William was 
sent to the University of Oxford, where he entered, at the 
age of fifteen, Christ's Church College. He advanced rapidly 
in his studies, and cultivated the acquaintance of those 
students who were most distinguished for learning and good 
conduct ; among whom was John Locke, the afterwards cele- 
brated philosopher, and author of the Essay on the Human 
Understanding. He enjoyed excellent health, had a finely 
developed person, and, during the recesses of his hours of 
study, often engaged in manly and athletic exercises, in which 
he took great delight. His prosperous course at the Uni- 
versity was, however, suddenly terminated. With other 
students he attended a meeting of the Society, then lately 
formed, who called themselves Friends, but were by others 
in derision termed Quakers. The preacher on the occasion 
was a person who had formerly belonged to the University ; 
and his discourse made a deep impression upon William 
Penn, reviving certain religious thoughts which had seri- 
ously agitated his mind at the early age of twelve years. 
Whilst under this excitement, he discovered that some of his 
fellow students, were similarly affected. Dissatisfied with 
the established form of worship, and withdrawing from it, 
they held their own meetings, in which they engaged in 
exhortation and prayer. Bj the Heads of the College, in- 
formed of their proceedings, they were, in the first instance, 
fined for non-conformity ; bat, persisting in their conduct, 



(6) 

and from a sense of duty absenting themselves from the 
established church, they, together with Penn, who had 
associated himself with them, were expelled from the College. 
Such an event would, under any circumstances, have been 
of importance in the life of a young man ; but it was of 
special consequence to William Penn, in the unhappiness it 
occasioned by the loss of his father's affectionate regard ; 
and it is of particular significance in his biography, as evinc- 
ing the native integrity of his mind, and the firmness of his 
soul. On his return home from the University, his exem- 
plary and serious deportment manifested his deep religious 
convictions. He withdrew altogether from the society of 
the gay and frivolous, and sought those only who were pious 
and sedate. The Admiral was mortified and grieved at the 
change in his manners, which were naturally sprightly and 
prepossessing. He feared that all prospects of worldly honor, 
which he had cherished for his son, would be lost by his 
perverseness. Himself a man of the world, whose success in 
life had been so unusually brilliant, standing high in the 
consideration of the monarch, and therefore competent, by 
his influence, to advance his only son to any post of honor — 
that son, too, possessed of extraordinary parts, and personal 
advantages — no wonder that he felt deeply wounded in his 
pride, at the threatened disappointment of his fondest hopes. 
He first tried persuasion ; he laid open to the young man his 
plans and purposes, all centering in benefits to him ; he 
pointed out and explained the distinctions within his reach ; 
he showed him how the golden prizes of the world's highest 
honors, for which others were obliged to undergo toil and 
pain, and humble solicitation — for which many engaged in 
low intrigues, and bartered away their integrity, and man- 
hood, and worldly wealth — would all be his, almost without 
the asking. Everything would be prepared to secure his 
triumphant progress and complete success. All that was 
now necessary, was that he should resume his former and 
accustomed manner, and abandoning his association with the 
obscure and ridiculous people with whom he was consorting, 
return to the fashionable and gay world, to which he pro- 



(7) 

perly belonged. "William listened to his father respectfully 
and patiently ; and after a decent pause, modestly answered, 
that he found it impossible to stifle the convictions of his 
reason, or for any worldly consideration do that which, in 
his conscience, he believed to be wrong. 

Vexed and irritated at this obstinacy, as he deemed it, the 
Admiral next employed threats. He bade him beware how 
he angered one who was not to be baffled ; said that he had 
set his heart upon his son's acquiescence in the course which 
he had chalked out for his own good ; and he would be obey- 
ed. ■ He should therefore look to it. He should either bend 
or break. These threats were attended with no better effect 
than the milder means of soft words which had preceded 
them ; and at length the deeply offended father resorted to 
blows. But blows being equally unavailing, he gave way 
to a transport of rage, and drove his son from his house and 
home. 

This was a severe trial to the fortitude of William Penn, 
"who cherished a strong affection for his father ; but he had 
endured the storm with unruffled calmness, and by his stead- 
fastness maintained his faith. The Admiral being a man of 
kindly feelings, though hot and hasty, soon relented, and 
through the intercession of his excellent wife and William's 
mother, extended his forgiveness to his son, and permitted 
his return. In order that he might be relieved of that seri- 
ous frame of mind and gravity of behavior, to which his 
■father so much objected, it was resolved to send him abroad, 
and knowing some persons of rank, who were about to make 
the tour of the continent, his father sent him in company 
with them. Wm. Penn resided for some considerable time 
at Paris, and then went to Saumur, that he might enjoy the 
conversation and instruction of the learned Moses Amyrault, 
Professor of Divinity, and the most eminent divine in France. 
He spent more than a year in that country, acquiring great 
proficiency in the language, and (what his father prized still 
more highly) that polish of manners for which the French, 
above all other people, were distinguished. He was proceed- 
ing to Italy, and had reached Turin, when he received a letter 



(8) 

from the Admiral, recalling him home to take charge of his 
affairs during his necessary absence at sea. Samnel Pepys, in 
his diary, describes him, at this time, as " a most modish per- 
son, grown quite a fine gentleman ;" and from the fact that 
he was received, on his return, with great satisfaction, it may 
be inferred that his associations abroad had worn off that 
serious demeanor which had so much displeased his father. 
An adventure, during his residenpe in Paris, illustrates his 
character. He was waylaid at night by a person who at- 
tacked him sword in hand, on account of a supposed affront. 
Being himself armed (as was then the custom), he defended 
himself with vigor and skill, and disarmed his assailant. But 
when he had him completely at his mercy, he allowed him to 
depart without injury. Alluding to this incident in one ot 
his works,* he remarks : "What envy, quarrels, and rnis- 
chiefs have happened among private persons upon their con- 
ceit, that they have not been respected according to their de- 
gree of quality among men, with hat, knee, or title ! Suppose 
this person had killed me (for he qaade several passes at me), 
or that I, in my defence, had killed him, I ask any man of 
understanding or conscience, if the whole round of ceremony 
were worth the life of a man, considering the dignity of his 
nature, and the importance of his life with respect to God, 
his creator, himself, and the benefit of civil society ?" 

Soon after he returned from abroad, he entered, by his 
father's advice, as a student at Lincoln's Inn, in order that 
he might acquire a knowledge of the laws of his country. 
His reconciliation with his father, appears to have been en- 
tirely cordial, for, in writing to him, in the following year, 
he uses these affectionate expressions: "As I never knew 
what a father was, till 1 had wisdom enough to prize him, so 
I can safely say that now, of all times, your concerns are 
most dear to me. It is hard, meantime, to lose both father 
and a friend" — alluding, probably, to some remark to which 
he was replying — the Admiral being then at sea, with the 
prospect of an approaching battle. 

His father continued to exercise a watchful care over him,, 
*No Cross, No Crown, 1st part, chap. 9 : 2. 



(9 ) 

apprehending a relapse into the grave and plain habits, which 
he regarded as an obstacle to his son's success in the world. 
Therefore early in the spring of 1666, perceiving that he was 
•again becoming more grave in his deportment, he resolved 
to send him to Ireland, where the Duke of Orraond, as Lord 
Lieutenant, presided over a vice-royal court, of great gaiety 
and splendor. Furnished with a letter from the Admiral to 
Sir Geo, Lane, Secretary to the Viceroy, William Penn was 
received with much kindness at court, where he formed 
many distinguished acquaintances, to whom he highly 
recommended himself by his personal accomplishments. 
Whilst he was in Dublin, a mutiny broke out in the garri- 
son of Carrick Fergus ; and having joined the forces under 
the second son of the Duke of Ormond, he displayed so much 
energy and valor in quelling the insurrection, that the Duke 
wished to make him captain of the company of foot attached 
to his father's government of the Fort of Kingsale. To this 
arrangement, which he seemed himself to desire, the Admiral 
strangely objected — strangely, because nothing was appa- 
rently better adapted to give that direction to his destiny 
which would have accomplished his father's purpose in rela* 
tion to him; the correspondence of William Penn evincing,, 
that he had suffered the gaieties by which he was surrounded 
to obliterate, in a considerable measure, his former serious 
impressions, and that he began to fix his affections upon, 
worldly glory and military distinction. 

About this time. Sir William Penn, being fully occupied 
with his naval command, intrusted to his son the mange - 
ment of his estates in Ireland, which lay in the county Cork- 
That business was conducted by him with such ability, as to 
give entire satisfation. On one occasion, being called by 
these affairs to the city of Cork, he was informed that 
Thomas Loe, the preacher whom he had ten years before 
heard at Oxford, was to attend a meeting of Friends in that 
city, and he resolved to see him. He therefore repaired to 
the meeting. He again heard him, and the effect was decis- 
ive ; his feelings were deeply moved by the impressive dis- 
course of the preacher ; his religious convictions were awak- 



(10) 

ened and renewed; and he became a constant attendant at 
tlie meetings of the Friends. At one of these meetings, he 
was arrested, with eighteen others, taken before the Mayor 
of Cork, and committed to prison. 

Immediately he addressed an eloquent letter to the Earl of 
Orrery, Lord President of Munster, in which among other 
remarks vindicating religious toleration, is this sentiment : 
" But I presume, my Lord, the acquaintance you have had 
with other countries, must needs have furnished you with 
this infallible observation : that diversities of faith and wor- 
ship, contribute not to the disturbance of any place where 
moral uniformity is barely requisite to preserve the peace." 
" It is not long since you were a good solicitor for the liberty 
I now crave, and concluded no way so effectual to improve or 
advantage this country, as to dispense with freedom in things 
relating to conscience." He closes by saying ; " If in this 
case, I may have used too great liberty, it is my subject ; nor 
shall I doubt your pardon, since by your authority I expect 
a favor which never will be used unworthy an honest man and 
Your Lordship's faithful, &c." W. P. 

In this letter is contained the germ of a noble principle, 
which was fully developed in his subsequent works. It was 
his first assertion of universal toleration — a cause to which 
he dedicated his great abilities, and which he successfully 
maintained in an arduous contest for a quarter of a century. 

He was released from prison in consequence of this letter, 
and the report that he had become a Quaker being conyeyed 
to his father, he was recalled to England, Admiral Penn 
did not immediately perceive any peculiarity in his dress and 
manners, except his omission of the usual ceremony of taking 
off the hat. Soon, however, the increasing gravity of his de- 
meanor became obvious, and brought on an explanation. It 
was respectfully but firmly made. William Penn modestly 
avowed his religious principles ; and while expressing his sin- 
cere desire to obey his father in everything that did not con- 
flict with his duty to God, he said that he could not abandon 
his religion; his duty to his Heavenly Father being para- 
mount to all other considerations. It is not difficult to un- 



(11) 

derstand Admiral Peuu's disappointment and vexation. By 
his son's improvement of the opportunities aftbrded him in 
a residence on the continent, the former hopes of the father 
had been rekindled, and were brighter than ever; then his 
success at the vice-regal court, appeared to have opened the 
high-road to honor and rank before him. He had been a 
conspicuous and favored guest of the Vice-Eoy. Strikingly 
handsome in person, polished and courtly in his address, dis- 
tinguished for the sprightliness of his wit and the depth of 
his erudition, and^ more than all, admired for the martial 
courage he had displayed in the affair of the mutiny, it 
seemed as if he were the special favorite of fortune, and that 
no post beneath the crown was too high or noble to be. the 
object of his aspirations. This was the very thing which his 
father had so long contemplated with an almost passionate 
desire, and to which the only obstacle he had ever seen, was 
his son's temporary attachment to the new and despised fol- 
lowers of George Fox. That obstacle the Admiral had flat- 
tered himself was removed, when this new event occurred to 
dash and confound all his hopes, on the eve of their expected 
accomplishment. That his son should, by uniting himself to 
the despised sect, turn his back upon his promotion, and re- 
ject the dazzling prize of wealth and honors, appeared to be 
nothing less than sheer madnesss. He expostulated with him ; 
he made use of every argument to convince ; he even pro- 
ceeded to entreat and implore him to relinquish his associa- 
tions ; but in vain. William remained steadfast in his prin- 
ciples ; and his father finding that he could not shake his de- 
termination, requested that he would at least conform so far 
to his wishes as to take off his hat in the presence of the 
King, the Duke of York, and himself. This request his son 
asked time to consider, which much incensed his father, who 
supposed his purpose was to consult some of his strange 
friends. But he assured him that such was not his inten- 
tion. Having retired to his chamber, he sought divine di- 
rection in fasting and prayer. At their next interview, he 
apprised his father, but with expressions of filial duty and 
affection, that he could not comply. The Admiral had ex- 



( 12 ) 

hausted all his means of influence ; his hopes for his son, 
lately so buoyant, were prostrated in the dust ; his anger he 
could no longer restrain ; and he again indignantly expelled 
him from his house. 

William Penn was now twenty-three years old. Educated 
in affluence, but without a profession or pecuniary resources, 
his situation was embarrassing in the extreme. For some 
time he was dependent upon the hospitality of his friends, 
until his mother found means of sending him relief. The 
irrepressible feeling of maternal love, prompted her" to in- 
terpose with the father, who at length softened by her en- 
treaties, so far relented as to allow his son to return home 
for shelter and subsistence, though he would give him no 
open countenance. It is believed that he afterwards secret- 
ly used his influence for the release of William, when he 
was imprisoned on account of his religious profession, as he 
often was ; for although Admiral Penn was a man of high 
temper, and accustomed to command, yet his feelings, as we 
have said, were kind and generous, and his attachments 
strong ; while to his son it was the most painful of the many 
trials which he suffered at this period, that he was deprived 
of affectionate intercourse with a parent whom he tenderly 
loved. 

We, who know the Society of Friends as a wealthy and 
respectable denomination of Christians, can with difficulty 
conceive the odium, dislike, and scorn, which, at that time, 
they excited in England. The Society arose just at the 
period of the Restoration, "when the nation, having become 
thoroughly disgusted with the gloomy severity of puritani- 
cal manners, hailed with unbounded approval the return of 
the gay cavaliers, with their glitter of display in equipments, 
in dress and address, and their love of showy spectacles, the- 
atrical, and other public amusements. A joyous abandon- 
ment of all classes to the pleasures of the world, was the pre- 
vailing spirit of the times. In the midst of this ambrosial 
life sprang up, from small and obscure beginnings, the So- 
ciety of Friends ; and nothing could be more discordant with 
the general harmony, than its first utterances. George Fox, 



( 13 ) 

a youth of poor but honest parents, had been placed with a 
shoemaker to learn his trade ; his master, who was also a 
keeper of sheep, employed him for a part of his time as a 
shepherd — a business which is supposed to have nourished 
his contemplative spirit. He was imbued with the sincerity, 
firmness, and courage of a martyr. He had early abandoned 
the ministers of the established church ; he then resorted to 
the Dissenters ; but their preachers did not satisfy him ; he 
therefore listened to the voice addressed to his mental ear, 
and his spiritual perceptions becoming more distinct, he at 
length found, as he declared, the path of the just. Thus he 
grew in the knowledge of divine things, " without the help 
of any man, book, or writing," until he became convinced 
that God had called him to a great work among men — to 
lead many from darkness to light. With such antecedents, 
it was by no means strange that he should take a narrow 
view of life and its social customs ; and seeing much in the 
prevailing forms and ceremonies which was extravagant and 
frivolous, that he should fall into the error of condemning 
what was perfectly innocent, and some things which were 
useful and commendable. He set himself to reform the 
amenities of society, by discarding all politeness and civility 
of address, as displayed in gesture, or phrase of compliment, 
and proscribing the conventional forms of respect and defer- 
ence. Nor did he stop here ; but he objected to the style of 
garments worn, and of the ordinary language used in the 
daily and general intercourse of life. 

It was hardly to be expected that the people of England, 
who had now driven the Puritans, or Eoundheads, as they 
called them, from power, and were rejoicing in their deliv- 
erance from their unlovely innovations, should look without 
disgust upon an attempt to introduce more than the Eound- 
head's bluntness — rudeness, plainness, disrespect and irrev- 
erence. They regarded it as a wanton and ridiculous oppo- 
sition to the national sentiment. At first, it was treated with 
contempt, unequivocally manifested ; but as the Society in- 
creased, the hostility grew into active and illegal violence. 
Wrongs and outrage followed, and oppressions, by tyrauni- 



( 14) 

cal magistrates wresting the laws from their legitimate ends. 
Places of meeting were closed, and the members excluded by 
a military guard ; meetiugs were broken up, and individuals 
fined and imprisoned for being present. But the Society in- 
creased notwithstanding these injuries, or rather in conse- 
quence of them ; for persecution, like fire, improves what it 
would seek to destroy. 

It was after this scheme of oppressions was instituted, that 
William Penn finally attached himself to the Friends ; and 
being a distinguished accession to the cause, he encountered 
a large amount of the enmity and malevolence it had ex- 
cited. He felt the force of the heavy arm of Church and 
State ; but he braved the power of the magistrate and the 
rage of the mob ; and in all his controversies, bore himself 
with such magnanimity, that he ever gained ground, even 
when apparently discomfited. His first contest was with the 
Eev. Thomas Vincent at Spitalfields, who had spoken in the 
harshest terms of the Society, and of him personally, stigma- 
tizing him as a Jesuit. Penn demanded an opportunity to 
clear himself, before the same congregation ; but though a 
day and hour were appointed, he was not allowed a fair hear- 
ing. He therefore resorted to the press for a vindication, 
and published a tract with the title of " The Sandy Founda- 
tion Shaken." This work, by misconstruction, gave great 
offence. The Bishop of London was so indignant that he 
procured an order from the Government for Pehn's impris- 
onment in the Tower, where, being arrested, he was con- 
fined with rigor, and his friends were denied access to him. 
After he had been sometime imprisoned, he was told that the 
Bishop was resolved that " he should either publicly recant 
or die." He answered, " All is well ;" and to the messenger 
he said, " Tell my father, who I know will ask thee, these 
words: that my prison shall be my grave, before I will budge 
a jut ; for I owe my conscience to no mortal man. They are 
mistaken in me ; I value not their threats and resolutions, 
for they shall know that I can weary out their malice." 

During this imprisonment he wrote and published, among 
other treatises, the work entitled, " No Cross, No Crown ;" 



( 15 ) 

which is one of his most excellent and approved productions. 
He also addressed a letter from the Tower to the Secretary of 
State, showing the illegality of his imprisonment without 
trial, and the impolicy of persecuting people on account of 
their convictions. That letter does not appear to have had 
any efiect. Soon after he published a small tract, entitled 
" Innocence with her Open Face," which was in explanation 
of the " Sandy Foundation Shaken ;" and which probably 
gave satisfaction, for he was soon after its publication re- 
leased from the Tower. Before his discharge, the King sent 
Dr. Stillingfleet to endeavor to change his views ; but Penn 
told him, and he the King, that the Tower was the worst ar- 
gument in the world to convince him. 

, He had been confined nearly nine months, and he owed 
the restoration of his liberty to the King, who was moved 
thereto by the intercession of the Duke of York. The kind- 
ness of the Duke, continued after he came to the throne, to 
William Penn, inspired a strong sentiment of gratitude in 
his heart, and a personal attachment which subjected him to 
much groundless suspicion and persecution, after the abdi- 
cation of James II. 

His father was not yet prepared for an open reconcilia- 
tion, though his asperity was much diminished by William's 
long imprisonment in the Tower, as well as by his courage 
and fidelity, qualities which no one could better appreciate 
than Admiral Penn. He therefore signified, through Wil- 
liam's mother, his desire that he should go again to Ireland, 
and attend to his estates in that kingdom. His son pro- 
ceeded with alacrity to perform his behests, cheered with 
the prospect of being soon restored to his father's confidence 
and favor. Whilst in Ireland, he interfered effectively in 
behalf of the suffering Friends, many of whom had been 
seized and thrown into prison. After repeated applications 
and visits to the Castle, he obtained an order of the Council 
for their relief, and they were discharged. 

Having completed the business entrusted to him, he re- 
turned to England in L760, when a reconciliation with his 
father took place. Sir William Penn's declining health had 



( 16) 

probably led him to modify his opinions, and entertain in- 
creased respect for the singular integrity and firmness of his 
son's character, his fervent piety and uncommon abilities. 
Their mutual afiection was interrupted afterwards only by 
death. 

The Act of Parliament against seditious conventicles had 
been renewed, and the magistrates were active and rigorous 
in enforcing it. A short time after his return from Ireland, 
he was arrested, under a warrant from the Lord Mayor of 
London, for preaching to a number of friends, gathered about 
the door of a place of meeting, which they were prevented 
from entering by a guard of soldiers. For this he was for- 
mally indicted, and tried before the court of the Lord Mayor, 
Recorder and Alderman. The incidents of this extraordi- 
nary trial are graphically described in his works, and evince 
how firmly, ably and successfully he withstood the tyranny 
of the court, and won from the jury an honest verdict of ac- 
quittal. But the court, nevertheless, fined him for contempt 
in keeping his hat on, and committed him to Newgate, to- 
gether with the jury. Some of the passages between him 
and the Recorder are remarkable, as showing his readiness as 
well as firmness. He desired to know upon what law they 
grounded the indictment. The Recorder answered, " The 
Common Law." 

Penn: What is that common law ? 

Recorder : You must not think that I am able to run up 
so many years, and over so many adjudged cases, which we 
call common law, to answer your curiosity. 

Penn : This answer, I am sure, is very short of my ques- 
tion ; for if it be common^ it should not be so hard to pro- 
duce. 

Recorder: Sir, you are a troublesome fellow ; and it is not 
for the honor of the court to suffer you to go on. 

Penn: I have asked but one question, and you have not 
answered me ; though the right and privileges of every Eng- 
lishman be concerned in it. 

Recorder : If I should suffer you to ask questions till to- 
morrow morning, you would be never the wiser. 



( 17 ) 

Perm: That's according as the answers are. 

Recorder : Sir, we must not stand, to hear you tall?: all 
night. 

And, indeed, after so keen a relbrt, the Recorder, we 
think, was not likely to find pleasure in hearing anything 
more. 

Admiral Penn was grieved at this prosecution, and would 
at once have paid the fine imposed ; but to this William 
himself objected. The Admiral's health had much declined ; 
yet his son did not apprehend any danger from his sickness ; 
but becoming himself, soon afterwards, conscious of his 
approaching dissolution, he sent the means to release William 
from his imprisonment, which the latter could no longer 
refuse. Thus he was brought to his father's bedside, where, 
with tender assiduity, he remained until the final hour. 
Every shadow of dissatisfaction had passed from his father's 
mind, in relation to his conduct and the course of life which he 
had chosen. He acknowledged his conviction that his son 
had chosen the better part ; and forseeing from the spirit of 
persecution which was so rife in the land, that his unswerv- 
ing fidelity and heroic firmness would bring him into trouble, 
the last public act of this eminent man, was to dispatch a 
judicious friend to court, with his dying request that the 
King and the Duke of York would extend to his son their 
protection. The answer was gracious and consolatory, both 
the King and Duke promising their compliance. He died 
on the 16th of September, being forty-nine years and four 
months old. 

Towards the close of this year, William Penn was again 
arrested, and arbitrarily committed, by the Lieutenant of the 
Tower, to Newgate — a loathsome prison — for six months. 
He was seized whilst addressing a meeting in the street on 
religious subjects, and required to take the oath prescribed 
by the Oxford Act; which he refused, asserting that it 
applied to persons in orders only, addressing unlawful assem- 
blies. For this, as it was pretended, he was imprisoned. 
During his confinement, he continued to employ his pen in 
support of his principles, and in defence of his Society ; and 



( 18 ) 

among other treatises, he published one of acknowledged 
ability, erudition, and enlarged Christian charity, entitled 
the great Cause of Liberty of Conscience, once more briefly 
debated and defended by the authority of reason, Scripture 
and antiquity. Learning that i: was in contemplation to 
pass other laws to enforce the Conventicle Act, he drew up 
a respectful but spirited remonstrance, addressed to the High 
Court of Parliament, in which he set forth the principles of 
the Friends in relation to the Civil Governnient, and solicited 
a hearing for them ; they having many reasons to offer 
against the severity of such proceedings. The term of his 
imprisonment expired, he again visited the Continent on a 
religious mission, and traveled through Holland and some 
parts of Germany. After his return to England, he married 
Gulielma Maria Springett, daughter of Sir Wm. Springett — 
a lady of extraordinary beauty and merit, who chose him, as 
he said, before all her many suitors. Notwithstanding this 
event, and the attention required by his private affairs in the 
management of an ample fortune, he did not relax his public 
labors. There was, however, about this time, a lull in the 
storm of persecution, which had raged for the last few years, 
and the King's Declaration of Indulgence had procured a 
season of respite for the Friends. But that Act of clemency 
was regarded as an unAvarrantable stretch of the prerogative, 
with a secret purpose to favor the Eoman Catholics, to whom 
the King was supposed to be inclined. So strong became 
the opposition, that the Declaration was recalled the follow- 
ing year after it emanated, and the persecution was renewed 
with increased violence. In many places, the Friends were 
subjected to great sufferings by fines, imprisonment, and 
personal abuse. Their meeting houses were pulled down, and 
they then assembled upon their ruins ; and often the children 
after their parents were sent to prison, would assemble to 
keep up their meetings. Such fidelity and perseverance, 
such fortitude and self-sacrificing zeal, must, it was thought, 
be founded in sincerity and truth ; and this opinion induced 
many from among other dissenters to embrace their principles. 
The consequence was, that the Society was assailed from sev- 



( 19 ) 

eral quarters ; which gave William Penn, during the first 
year after marriage, and of his residence at Eickmansworth, 
full employment in answering those attacks. Indeed from 
that time, he was generally engaged in such controversies, 
and in exposing the hardships to which his Society was sub- 
jected, by oppressive and unequal laws. He wrote and pub- 
lished a Treatise on oaths ; and another on the Necessity of 
Eeligious Toleration. The latter work was most ingenious 
and able, and demonstrates that this great man was almost a 
century in advance of his age. " Nigh 800 years" (said he) 
before Austin set his foot on English ground, had the inhabi- 
tants of this Island, a free government ; and yet those who 
cannot conscientiously worship, according to the forms of the 
establishment, are assailed with such impertinent cries as 
this : Why do you not submit to the government ? As if the 
English civil government came in with Luther, or were to go 
out with Calvin. What prejudice is it for a Pojnsh landlord 
to have a Protestant tenant; or a Presbyterian tenant, to have 
an Episcopalian landlord? Certainly the civil afi'airs of all 
governments in the world maybe peaceably transacted, under 
the different liveries or trims of religion." This position he 
maintains by the following cogent argument : " That so far 
from a government being weakened or endangered by a vari- 
ety of religious sentiments, ii is, on the contrary, strengthen- 
ed by them, provided that all are equally tolerated ; for it 
prevents combinations against the government :"— in corrob- 
oration of which, he shows from Livy, that Hannibal's army 
which, for 13 years, ravaged the Roman Empire, was made 
up of many countries, divers languages, laws, customs, and 
religions, yet under all their successes, and circumstances of 
war and peace, they never mutinied. 

He also published a small work, describing the oppres- 
sions and wrongs inflicted upon the Quakers, only for their 
peaceable meetings for worship— setting forth, how these 
meetings were violently broken up, the members, both men 
and women, being dragged out by the hair of their heads— 
and hauled to prison— how their houses were rifled, their 
stock driven off and sold, and their estates ruined. About 



(20 ) 

the same time, he addressed a letter in Latin to the Senate 
of Embden, on behalf of the persecuted Friends in Germany. 

By his great and beneficent efforts in behalf of his Society, 
by his eminent abilities and rank, his wealth and accomplish- 
ments, not to speak of his sacrifices, fines, imprisonments, 
-&c., he became their acknowledged leader and head; and was 
appealed to as an arbiter in their difficulties and disputes. 
In this way, he was engaged in the settlement of New Jersey, 
and chiefly of that part which is bounded by the Delaware. 
A dispute having arisen between John Fenwick and Edward 
Byllinge — both members of the Society of Friends, they 
mutually agreed to refer it to William Penn for arbitration. 
He carefully examined the matter, and made his award. 
Fenwick refused to comply. Finally, however, by means of 
William Penn's good offices, the dispute was adjusted, Byl- 
linge afterwards becoming embarrassed, and desirous of trans- 
ferring to his creditors his interest in this territory, earnestly 
entreated him to act as co-trustee with two of his creditors 
in order to carry out his wishes by such measures, as would 
render the property available. William Penn became thereby 
a chief instrument in the settlement of New Jersey ; and was 
thus prepared for the greater work of founding a Colony of 
his own. 

In speaking of the Constitution, which was adopted for 
the settlers of New Jersey, he says : " We have laid a foun- 
dation for after-ages to understand their liberty, as men and 
Christians — that they may not be brought in bondage but 
by their own cons'jnt; for we put the power in the people, 
that is to say, they to meet and choose one honest man for 
each proprietary, (of which there were 100) who hath sub- 
scribed the concessions : all those to meet at an assembly, 
there to make and repeal laws, to choose a governor, or a 
commissioner, and twelve assistants to execute the laws dur- 
ing their pleasure : so every man is capable to choose or be 
chosen. No man to lie in prison for debt ; but that his estate 
satisfy as far as it will go, and he be set at liberty to work. 
No person to be ealled in question or molested for his con- 
science." 



( 21 ) 

Consider : This was lUO years before our Eevolution ! 

The principles of integrity, good will, and trath, which 
guided their intercourse with each other, were also to regu- 
late their treatment of the Natives ; and instead of relying 
upon their muskets, powder, and ball, which each colonist in 
the outset had bound himself to provide, they went among 
the rude denizens of the forest, armed solely with the wea- 
pons of the Christian's warfare, and met them without fear 
or suspicion. They trusted, not in vain, in that strongest of 
all human laws (if it be not more properly called divine) the 
law of kindness and beneficence — or as William Penn beau- 
tifully expressed it — " The law written in our hearts, by 
which we are taught, and commanded to love and to help, 
and to do good to one other." By reason of this wise policy, 
the Colony of New Jersey was made happy and prospered 
exceedingly. W hilst engaged in these active duties, he also 
maintained by his voice, pen, and personal influence, the 
principles of religious and civil liberty at home and abroad} 
visiting many parts of his own country and the Continent of 
Europe, addressing crowned heads, princes, parliaments, sen- 
ates, and assemblies of the people, in their vindication. His 
integrity was so clear and his nature so candid, that although 
the active friend and supporter of Algernon Sidney and the 
Whi? party, then lately organized, he never lost the favor of 
his soveerign or of the Duke of York, by whom he was 
always graciously received. 

He had a heavy claim upon the government for the servi- 
ces of his father, and moneys advanced by him to the Crown. 
The sum acknowledged to be due would amount, at our pres- 
ent rates of value, to more than a quarter of a million of dol- 
lars. For this consideration he proposed to purchase the 
province west of the Delaware river, bounded on the south 
by Maryland, limited as Maryland on the west, and north- 
ward to extend " as far as plantable." "After many waitings, 
watchings, solicitings, and disputes in Council," as he express- 
ed it in a letter to his friend, the King's signature was affixed 
to his patent, on the 4th of March, A. D. 1681 ; and his 
Country, so he called it, was confirmed to him under the 



( 22 ) 

great seal of England, by tlie name of Pennsylvania. In tlie 
choice of a name, he was fortunately overruled. He wished 
to call it New Wales. When that was refused, he proposed 
Sylvania, and the Secretary accepted this, but prefixed Penn ; 
and " when I opposed it," (Win. Penn writes,) " the King said 
it should be so ; he would take it upon him as a respect 
due to my father, whom he often mentions with praise." 

William Penn was extremely gratified with his success in 
obtaining this grant. "It is," says he, "a clear and just 
thing ; and my Grod that has given it me, through many 
difficulties,, will I believe, oless, and make it the seed of a 
nation. I shall have a tender care to the government, that 
it be well laid at first." 

The professed object of this great enterprise was not only 
to provide a peaceful home for his own persecuted Society, 
but to furnish an asylum for the good and oppressed of all 
nations, and to found a State where the pure and upright 
principles of Christianity might be carried out in practice. 
And we can now judge how admirably adapted the discipline 
of his former life, his studies, his occapations, his travels 
abroad, his innumerable addresses in England and on the 
Continent, had been to qualify him for the mighty task he 
assumed of leading forth, not only fro:n his native Island 
Home, but from the towns and villages of Holland and the 
plains of Germany and France, a host of emigrants to colo- 
nize and people his new country. 

Early in the following year, he prepared for his voyage to 
America, and was busily employed until he embarked, in 
drawing up the Frame of Government for his people. 

This Instrument is dated the 25th of April, 1682. It was 
published with an introduction explanatory of the principles 
of government — a luminous exposition of those ideas of 
liberty, justice, and equal laws, which his many controversies 
and discussions in years past, enabled him to present in this 
practical form. Speaking of the different modes of govern- 
ment, and the difficulty of writing upon any one, he remarks, 
" that the cause is not always want of light and knowledge, 
but the want of using them rightly." He adds : " I choose 



(23) 

to solve tlie controversy in relation to the three forms of 
government with this small distinction, and it belongs to all 
three; any government is free to the people under it, what- 
ever be the frame, where the laws rule, and the people are 
a party to those laws ; and more than this is tyranny, oli • 
garchy and confusion. Governments, like clocks, go from the 
motion men give them ; and as governments are made and 
moved by men, so by them are they ruined. Wherefore 
governments rather depend upon men, than men upon gov- 
ernments. Let men be good and the g(wernment cannot be 
bad ; if it be ill, they will cure it. But if men be bad, let the 
government be ever so good, they will endeavor to warp and 
spoil it to their turn. 

" I know some say, let us have good laws, and no matter 
for the men that execute them. But let them consider that 
though good laws do well, good men do better. For good 
laws may want good men, and be abolished or evaded by ill 
men, but good men will never want good laws, or ill ones. 
'Tis true good laws have some awe upon ill ministers, but 
that is where these have not power to escape or abolish them, 
and where the people are generally wise and good ; but a 
loose and depraved people love laws and an administration 
like themselves. That therefore which makes a good consti- 
tution must keep it, namely, men of wisdom and virtue, 
qualities, that because they descend not with worldly inheri- 
tances, must be carefully propagated by a virtuous education 
of youth, for which after ages will owe more to the care and 
prudence of founders and the successive magistracy, than to 
their parents for their private patrimonies." 

" The great end of all governments," he concludes, " is to 
support power in reverence with the people, and to secure 
the people from the abuse of power, that they may be free by 
their just obedience, and magistrates honorable for their just 
administration , for liberty without obedience is confusion, 
and obedience without liberty, is slavery. 

" To carry this evenness, is partly owing to the constitu- 
tion, and partly to the magistracy : where either of these fail, 
government will be subject to convulsions, but where both 



(24 ) 

are wanting, it must be totally subverted ; then where botb 
meet, the government is like to endure, wbicb I humbly 
pray and hope, God will please to make the lot of this of 
Pennsylvania." 

This Constitution, or Frame as he called it, provided that 
the government should consist of the Governor and freemen 
of the Province in form of Provincial Council and General 
Assembly with full legislative powers. It provided for the 
election of the members of these bodies, designating their 
respective numbers, their terms of service, their times of 
meeting, and their modes of organization and procedure. It 
also defined and limited the executive authority, and pre- 
scribed its duties, giving to William Penn the appointment 
of the first judges, treasurers, sheriffs, etc., but that of their 
successors to the governor and council. 

A code of laws had been agreed on, for the purpose of 
carrying out the details of the Frame of government, subject 
to be amended or repealed by the Assembly, as was done in 
the following year, and, indeed, the frame of government 
was subsequently modified as to form, whilst its liberal prin- 
ciples of civil and religious freedom have entered largely 
into all the succeeding constitutions and laws of Pennsylva- 
nia, as well as those 'other States, and exercised an important 
and a salutary influence in the formation of the Constitution 
of the U. S. The privilege secured to every man of wor- 
shipping God, according to the dictates of his own con- 
science,wa8 the establishment of a principle for which Wm. 
Penn had contended and suffered for fifteen years. In this re- 
spect he was far in advance of his age, and it is a great and 
glorious distinction. Nor was his gentle and benevolent 
spirit less manifest in the penal laws which were enacted for 
the Province under his auspices. He did not consider ^ww- 
islirnent as the chief end of government. " They weakly 
err," said he, " who think there is no other use of government 
than correction, which is the coarsest part of it." Eeformation 
was, in his judgment, the great object of retributive justice; 
and in framing his penal laws for the Province, he substituted 
some milder penalty for about two hundred offences which 



( 25 ) 

were at that time capitally punished in England. Indeed, he 
ventured to abolish almost entirely her sanguinary code, re- 
serving the punishment of death for wilful murder only. The 
humane regulations^which he established for jails and prisons 
making them workhouses as well as places of confinement^ 
was the germ of our penitentiary system — a system that has 
commanded the approbation of some of the most enlarged 
and liberal minds, both in America and Europe. And it is 
even true, as has been remarked by one of our own writers : 
" That in the early Constitutions of Pennsylvania, are to be 
found the distinct annunciation of every great principle, the 
germ, if not the development, of every valuable improve- 
ment in government or legislation, which has been introduced 
into the political systems of mure modern epochs." 

William Penn having prepared his constitution and laws, 
set sail with a large number of friends in the shipjWelcome, 
and arrived at New Castle on the 22d of October, 1682. He 
was received with great joy by the inhabitants ; and after 
attending to the public affairs of the three lower counties on 
the Delaware, which by a grant from the Duke of York, 
were united to his Province of Pennsylvania, he proceeded to 
Uplands, the name of which he changed to Chester, in honor 
of his friend and companion,' Pearson, who had come from 
the city of Chester, in England. From Chester he went with 
a party in an open barge to the site of his great city, four 
miles, as he estimated it, above the mouth of the Schuyl- 
kill, Here he was met by a numerous throng of Swedes, 
Dutch, English, his friends who had preceded him, and the 
dusky natives of the Wilderness. All were eagerly expect- 
ing him, and gave him a cordial welcome. The shore of the 
noble Delaware was, at this place, a high bank, covered for 
the most part with lofty pines. The site of the city had been 
determined by commissioners, agreeably to his instructions,, 
before his arrival ; and several of the streets had been laid 
out and named. He made some very judicious alterations, 
and especially in the location of Broad street, which he 
changed to its present situation on the highest ground, be- 
tween the two rivers, and nearly midway from one to the 



(26) 

other. He prescribed many salutary regulations for the city, 
some of which, unfortunately, were not regarded in its sub- 
sequent growth and progress. Among these was a wide space 
to be left open for the whole length of the city on the Dela- 
ware front, as a promenade. 

His intercourse with the Indians was conciliatory and suc- 
cessful beyond all example. His candor, benignity, and jus- 
tice were so patent, that he at once charmed and captivated 
those simple children ot nature, and secured their friendship 
and reverence. He went among them without reserve, entered 
their assemblies, sat down with them on the ground, partook 
of their homely hospitality, and even engaged in their pas- 
times and sports. It is related, that once when he had eaten 
of their roasted acorns and hominy with manifest relish, 
they expressed their great delight; and to show it the more, 
began to hop, skip, and jump ; whereupon he sprang to his 
feet, joined in their amusement, and excelled them all. This 
anecdote agrees with his early fondness for gymnastic exer- 
cises — and what some of the old journals among the Friends 
incidentally mention of him, namely, that he appeared to have 
an excessive flow of spirits for a grave minister. 

Opposite to what is now Bordentown, he had, on the wes* 
side of the river, a manor surveyed and laid out for himself 
on which he proceeded to erect a mansion. The population 
being generally settled not remote from the river-side, his 
favorite mode of travelling was in his barge, furnished with 
a sail and manned by a boatswain and six oarsmen. It was 
in this way he passed to and from Pennsburg to Shakamaxan, 
Philadelphia, and Chester, in his frequent visits. Late in the 
month of November, he descended the river to meet, in a 
great council, a number of the Indian tribes, under a large 
Elm Tree on the north side of the city, and on that occasion, 
formed with them the celebrated treaty; which is the only 
league known, as Voltaire remarked, that was not confirmed 
by an oath, and was never broken. This great treaty, so 
famous in our annals, laid the solid foundation of an endur- 
ing amity and a friendly intercourse with the Aborigines 
which continued thenceforth without interruption. All the 



(27 ) 

stipulations proposed by William Peim, were sucli as might 
have been expected from his justice and goodness ; and they 
were carried out in the same spirit in which they were framed. 
He not only ])aid them for their lauds, but he exerted him- 
self to improve their condition in every possible way. 'The 
effect was experienced in their kinduess to the colonists, 
whom they often supplied with v6nison, beans, and maize, 
refusing any pay for the same ; whilst they always felt and 
expressed for William Penn the utmost regard and confidence 
in his integrity. His name was embalmed in their affections, 
and it has been handed down among them to successive gen- 
erations. At a treaty made at Baston with the Indians, in 
1756, Teedyuscung, the Delaware Chief, spoke as follows : 
" Brother Onas and the people of Pennsylvania, we rejoice to 
hear from you, that you are willing to renew the good old 
understanding, and that you call to mind the first treaties of 
friendship made by Onas, our great friend deceased, with our 
forefathers, when himself and his people first came over 
here." The Rev. Jno. Heckewelder, who lived so long among 
the Indian Nations, and has written their history, says he 
frequently witnessed their assembling together in some shady 
spot, as nearly as possible similar to that where they used to 
meet Miquon, and there lay all his words and speeches, with 
those of his descendants, on a blanket or clean piece of bark, 
and with great satisfaction, go successively over the whole. 
This practice existed up to the year 1780. The names of 
Onas and Miquon, both signifying a quill, were translations 
of the name of Penn into the Indian languages. No other 
name ever obtained so much influence over those rude and 
simple nations, no other was ever regarded by them with so 
profound a veneration. The affectionate intercourse between 
them and the white inhabitants of Pennsylvania, which con- 
tinued as long as the principles of the founder guided the 
conduct of the colonists, is a beautiful exemplification of the 
power of sincerity and truth, and Christian charity, in pro- 
moting the real happiness and prosperity of men and nations. 
In other colonies the Aborigines were dangerous neighbors, 
and were abhorred as cruel and blood-thirsty. They had 



(28 ) 

been made suspicious and revengeful by repeated and atro- 
cious injuries of the European strangers, and they often 
banded together to exterminate their oppressors. But William 
Penn came among these simple and unsophisticated people^ 
declaring and showing that he meant them no harm. He and 
his followers presented themselves, without weapons of any 
kind, professing peace and good will and a desire to become 
one people with them. " I will not do" (said he to them) " as 
the Marylanders did — that is, call you children, or brothers 
only, for parents are apt to whip their children too severely, 
and brothers sometimes will differ ; neither will I compare 
the friendship between us to a chain, for the rain may rust it^ 
or a tree may fall and break it ; but I will consider you as 
the same flesh and blood with the Christians, and the same 
as if one man's body were to be divided into two parts." In 
a letter to the Society of Free Traders, he gives an interest- 
ing account of their manner of proceeding in Council : "Their 
order is thus : the king sits in the middle of the half moon, 
and has his council, the old and wise, on each hand. Be- 
hind them, or at a little distance, sit the younger fry in the 
same figure. Having consulted and resolved their business, 
the King ordered one of them to speak to me. He stood up> 
came to me, and in the name of the King saluted me ; then 
took me by the hand, and told me that he was ordered by his 
King to speak to me ; and that now, it was not he, but the 
King that spoke, because what he should say, was the King's 
mind. He first prayed me to excuse them, that they had not 
complied with me the last time. He feared there might be 
some fault in the interpreter, being neither Indian nor Eng- 
lish. Besides, it was the Indian custom to deliberate and 
take up much time in council before they resolved ; and that 
if the young people and owners of the land had been as ready 
as he, I had not met with so much delay. Having thus in- 
troduced his matter, he fell to the bounds of the lands they 
had agreed to dispose of, and the price. During the time 
that this person spoke, not a man of them was observed to 
whisper or smile — the old grave, the young reverent, in their 
deportment. They speak little, but fervently, and with ele- 



(29 ) 

gance. I have never seen more natural sagacity, considerino- 
tliem without the help, (I was going to say, the spoil,) of tra- 
dition ; and he will deserve the name of wise, who outwitg 
them in any treaty, about a thing they understand. When 
the purchase was agreed, great promises passed between us 
of kindness and good neighborhood, and that the English 
and Indians must live in love, as long as the sun gave light ; 
which done, another made a speech to the Indians, in the 
name of all the Sachamakers or kings — ^first, to tell them 
what was done ; next, to charge and command them to love 
the Christians, and particularly to live in peace with me and 
the people under my government; that many governors had 
been in the river, but that no governor had come himself to 
live and stay here before ; and having now such an one, who 
had treated them well, they should never do him or his any 
wrong. At every sentence of which they shouted, and said, 
Amen, in that way." 

When William Penn had been about two years in this 
country, he was obliged to return to England, where his per- 
sonal affairs and his estate required his presence and immedi- 
ate attention. He had always generously contributed from 
his large means, to the relief of his friends in distress and 
under oppression. Hehad expended liberally in forwarding 
the settlement of the Province, and had readily declined the 
voluntary offer of the colonists to furnish him with a revenue 
from imposts — and from the quit rents little or nothing had 
been received. His generosity exceeded his income, great as 
that was. In addition to embarrassments of this kind, he 
had a controversy with Lord Baltimore about their bounda- 
ries, which was then under the consideration of the Privy 
Council. 

Having arrived in England and rejoined his family, he, a 
few days after, repaired to Court, and was kindly received, 
not only by the King and the Duke of York, but by the 
Ministers. But he soon found his position embarrassing. 
He had been attached to the Whigs, who were now under the 
odium of the Court. The Friends had been persecuted with 
increased rigor, and many were in prison and otherwise suf- 



( 30 ) 

fering the penalties of the laAvs. Whilst the condition of his 
dispute with Lord Baltimore made it necessary for him to be 
near the Court, the situation of his friends determined him to 
exert himself for their relief. He found the King much ex- 
asperated and sternly resolved against the non-conformists in 
religion ; though his brother, the Duke of York, was more 
disposed to be tolerant. William Penn began cautiously by 
using his good officesvin particular cases ; and by engaging 
the friendly aid of the Duke, he succeeded in most of his 
efforts for the relief of the oppressed who were in bonds. He 
had removed to Kensington, His influence was known to be 
great, and his house was frec[uently crowded by persons solicit- 
ing favors from the Court. As many as two hundred were said 
to have visited him in one day. In, the midst of these cares, 
he and the nation were startled with the intelligence, that 
the King was mortally stricken. " He was well at night, on 
the 1st of February," (wrote Wm. Penn to Thomas Lloyd,) 
" but about 8 o'clock next morning, as he sat down to shave, 
his head twitched both ways or sides, he gave a shriek and 
fell as dead, and so remained some hours ; they opportunely 
blooded and cupped him, and plied his head with red-hot 
frying pans. He survived some days, but mostly in great 
tortures, appearing very penitent, and. praying for pardon 
and to be delivered out of the world." 

The Duke of York, who succeeded as James II., was an 
avowed Catholic ; but he professed to be in ftivor of universal 
toleration, and with apparent sincerity ; and, indeed, through 
the influence of William Penn, for whom, on his own account 
as well as on account of his late father, he entertained a 
warm regard, he relieved many who were suffering for con- 
science' sake. The Friends sent in a brief address to the 
new King accompanied by a statement, that more than four- 
teen hundred of their Society, male and female, continued in 
imJDrisonment in England and Wales, for no other cause 
than for worshiping God, according to their sense of duty> 
and refusing to swear. 

Among those whom Wm. Penn endeavored effectually to 
serve, was his old friend and fellow-student, John Locke, the 



( 31 ) 

philosopher, an exile in Holland on account of his opposition 
to Popery and arbitrary power. He was authorized by the 
King to inform Locke, that he should be pardoned ; but the 
latter expressing his grateful sense of his friend's kindness, 
declined the proffered pardon, for which he said he had no 
occasion, as he had not been guilty of any crime. In the 
meantime Wm. Penn was diligent in his efforts to bring 
his controversy with Lord Baltimore to a close, and at length 
on the 25th of October, 1685, he wrote to James Harrison : 
" After a full hearing before the lords of the committee of 
trade and plantations, with Lord Baltimore, he was cast, 
and the lands in dispute adjudged to be none of his right, 
and not within his patent " 

The condition of the public mind, in relation to religious 
dissent, was such as to engage the continued efforts of Wm. 
Penn in behalf of the cause of a free toleration of religious 
faith ; and he prepared a treatise, entitled " A Persuasive to 
Moderation," for the purpose of allaying the prevailing 
excitement. " Moderation, the subject of this discourse," he 
says, " is, in plainer English, liberty of conscience to church 
dissenters : a cause I have, with ail humility, undertaken to 
plead against the prejudices of the times." "By conscience, 
I understand the apprehension and persuasion a man has of 
his duty to God ; by liberty of conscience, I mean a free 
and open profession and exercise of that duty, especially in 
worship." 

Soon after the publication of this appeal, King James II. 
issued his proclamation for a general pardon to all who were 
in prison on account of conscientious dissent. Among the 
thousands of worthy persons, who were in consequence there- 
of discharged from the jails of England, there were more 
than thirteen hundred Friends, some of whom had been 
separated for twelve or fifteen years from their families and 
homes. This measure was generally and justly attributed to 
the efforts of Wm. Penn, and his influence with the govern- 
ment. But the penal laws against dissenters were still in 
force, and during the year in which this proclamation was 
issued, many under those laws were prosecuted and despoiled 



(32 ) 

of their goods by greedj informers. The King, therefore, 
when apprised of these proceedings, directed that the judges 
aiid magistrates should discountenance the informers, and put 
a stop to their legalized plunder. 

William Penn's presence was greatly desired now, as in- 
deed at all times, in Pennsylvania, and most happy would it 
have been if he, having obtained a decision in his favor of 
the disputed boundary, and succeeded in restoring his friends 
in England to liberty, and relieving all dissenters from the 
power of religious persecution, had complied with the wishes 
of his people, and returned to his Province. He would have 
preserved them from many troubles which they encountered 
in after years by reason of his absence, and he would have 
avoided the misfortunes and misery to which he was sub- 
jected on account of his personal attachment to the unfortu- 
nate James II., and his supposed connection with his admin- 
istration of the government. In answer to the solicitations 
for his speedy return to America, he wrote to a friend as fol- 
lows : " For my coming over, cheer up the people ; I press 
what I can, but the great undertakings that crowd me, and to 
raise money to get away, hinder me yet ; but my heart is 
with you, and my soul and love are after you."' There can 
be no question that the cause of his detention was chiefly in 
these " great undertakings." The exigency of the times, in 
reference to the. interests of religion and civil and religious 
liberty, to which he had devoted himself, seemed to fix him 
at his post, within reach of the Court. To a correspondent 
in America, he writes: "The King has discharged all Friends 
by a general pardon, and is courteous to me, though as to the 
Church of England, things seem pinching. Several Eoraan 
Catholics get much into places in the army, navy, and court." 
He again visited Holland and Germany ; and the King gave 
him a commission to consult the Prince of Orange, who had 
married his daughter, the heir presumptive to the Crown of 
England, in order to obtain his concurrence in a general tol- 
eration of religious faith and worship, and the removal of 
tests. This great undertakimj^ which proceeded in all proba- 
bility from his own suggestion, was but partially successful. 



(33 ) 

He had several interviews with the Prince, who expressed 
himself in favor of toleration, but was opposed to the removal 
of tests^ which excluded tha dissenters from Parliament. 
Here, too, unfortunately, Wm. Penn was a century in advance 
of his age. From the Ilague ho went to Amsterdam, and 
thence into Germany, meeting and giving comfort to many 
English and Scottish exiles in those countries ; and after his 
return he visited the northern parts of England. Added to 
the causes of his continued detention from a return to his 
Province, he was informed that Lord Baltimore had not com- 
plied with the order in council. " I cannot come," said he, 
"this fall, for to leave that unfinished I came for, and so re- 
turn, by his obstinacy, when wife and family are there, will 
not be advisable. Wherefore, I think to see an end of that 
before I go." Besides, he complained that he had no returns 
from the Province ; that his quit rents remained unpaid ; and 
that he was more than five thousand pounds out of pocket, 
having expended that sum over and above anything received 
by him for land therein. 

But King James II. was not the sovereign the times re- 
quired. He was surrounded by Koman Catholic counsellors, 
and even his best measures were misinterpreted. Disaffec- 
tion to his government spread widely over England. All 
who were friendly to him passed under the cloud of general 
discontent, and the most invidious and ridiculous slanders 
were made current in relation to "Wm. Penn. It was said he 
was a Papist, a Jesuit in disguise, that he had officiated in the 
King's Chapel, and that he had been ordained a Priest at Rome, 
and was still one — and had been educated for the iniesthoad at 
St. Omer's. So great were the industry and malice with 
which these reports were circulated, that many persons of 
rank and intelligence were induced to give them credit, and 
were led to believe that he actually influenced the King in 
some of his most obnoxious measures. He felt that he was 
called upon to defend himself from those charges ; which he 
did, in an admirable letter written in 1688. This letter is a 
perfect refutation of the now over-stale calumnies which 
Macaulay, the Essayist, in his recent history of England, has 



(U) 

raked out from the rubbish of two centuries, with the ma- 
levolent, but vain intent, of giving new vitality to their ex- 
tinct virulence and venom. In relation to the particular 
charges before mentioned, he said, " It is fit that I contra- 
dict them as particularly as they accuse me. I say, then, 
solemnly, I am so far from having been bred at St. Omer'a, 
and received Orders at Eome, that I never was at either place; 
nor do I know any body there ; nor had I ever any corres- 
pondence with any body in those places. And as for ray 
officiating in the King's chapel, or any other, it is so ridicu- 
lous, as well as untrue, that besides that nobody can do it 
but a priest, and that I have been married to a woman of 
some condition above sixteen years, which no priest can be 
by any dispensation whatever, I have not so much as looked 
into any chapel of the Roman religion, and consequently not 
the King's, though a common curiosity warrants it daily to 
people of all persuasions. 

" And once for all, I do say, that I am a Protestant Dis- 
senter, and to that degree such, that I challenge the most 
celebrated Protestant of the English church or any other, on 
that head, be he layman, or clergyman, in public or private. 
For I would have such people know, it is not impossible for 
a true Protestant Dissenter to be datifal, thankful, and 
serviceable to the King, though he be of the Roman Catho- 
lic communion. We hold not our property or protection 
from him by our persuasion, and therefore his persuasion 
should not be the measure of our allegiance." 

Very soon after this the disaffection to the King culmi- 
nated ; resulting in his abdication of the throne in favor of his 
daughter Mary, wife of William, Prince of Orange ; an event 
which materially affected the affairs and fortune of William 
Penn. His enemies were numerous and active ; malicious 
and unprincipled, of course, for their opposition had no other 
basis than envy — his whole life had been spent in doing good 
to others — he had sought neither place nor preferment for 
himself, nor emolument or remuneration for his time and 
services ; but had freely expended his own fortune and means 
without any hope of return. Embarrassment and wrongs 



(35) 

succeeded, his goverment was taken from him, and he was 
accused of treason. For a time he deemed it prudent to re- 
tire from public view. At length he solicited a hearing' 
which was granted. lie was vindicated and cleared from all 
censure before the King in Council ; but although the King 
was willing to discharge him, yet at the instance of some of 
the Council, he was ordered to give bail for his appearance at 
the ensuing Trinity Term in the King's Bench. lie was 
present at the time appointed, but no one appearing against 
him, he was discharged by the Court. He then commenced 
preparations for his voyage .to America, but was again 
arrested and lodged in prison, to await his trial. He was 
brought before the Court of King's Bench, Westminster, 
and was once more discharged, for want of evidence or 
accuser. 

Before the vessels in which he intended to embark were 
ready to sail, he learned that further proceedings had been 
instituted against him ; he therefore concluded to defer his 
purpose of returning to Pennsylvania, and allowed them to 
depart without him. Vexations and prosecutions were re- 
peated, and he was bafHed and delayed by the unsatisfactory 
state of his aftairs until the year 1699, when, on the 10th of 
December, he arrived after a tedious voyage of three months, 
with his family, at Chester, lie had been absent for fifteen 
years; and his return was a matter of exultation to the in- 
habitants, for they understood that he had now come to make 
Pennsylvania his permanent home. That was undoubtedly 
his intention ; but he had not been two years resident in his 
Province, before he was apprised of designs against his rights 
and interests, which made his immediate presence in England 
indispensable. lie was informed that a bill was before the 
House of Lords for annexing the several proprietary gov- 
ernments to the Crown; that it had been twice read, and it 
would probaby pass at the next session, if not before, unless 
he would appear in person, and answer the charges brought 
against his government by evil-minded persons. Ilis friends 
in England strongly urged his coming with the least possi- 
ble delay : the welfare of the province, as well as his own 



(36) 

interest, seemed to require it; and he therefore reluctantly 
determined to leave his adopted country, once more to re 
sume his post near the English Court. But so resolved was 
he that his absence should be temporary, and only for a 
short period, that he endeavored to prevail upon his wife to 
remain. This, however, she would not consent to do. Having 
completed his preparations, he therefore .embarked with 
his family in October, 1701, and arrived in England about the 
beginning of the year 1702. 

King William the III. died in the spring of this year ; a 
sincere friend of toleration, among whose last acts was his 
signature to the law allowing the affirmation of Friends, 
instead of an oath. 

Queen Anne succeeded him, and publicly declared her in- 
tention to maintain the Act of toleration in favor of the dis- 
senters. William Penn, heading a deputation of Friends, pre- 
sented an address expressive of their acknowledgments. The 
Queen received them very graciously, and after the address 
was read, returned this answer : 

" Mr. Penn, I am so well pleased that what I have said is 
to your satisfaction, that you and your friends may be as- 
sured of my protection." 

It does not appear that he hadvmuch trouble with the pro- 
ceeding in the House of Lords, in relation to the proprietary 
governments ; which was defeated soon after his arrival, 
though the measure was not abandoned. Those who had 
urged it, said that they would next introduce it into the 
House of Commons ; so that continued vigilance, on his part, 
was still required to avert the design, which seemed indeed 
t«0 be favored by some of the statesmen of England, who be- 
lieved that it would conduce to the safety of the Colonies as 
well as the prosperity of the kingdom. 

From this period to the close of his life, he remained in 
England, employing his tongue and his pen in the cause of 
civil and religious liberty, which he had so early espoused, 
and maintaining an active correspondence with his represen- 
tatives and agents in his provincial government, the affairs 
of which demanded his constant and watchful care. Towards 



(37 ) 

the close of his long life, his memory declined, but his cheer- 
ful and benevolent disposition and the amenity of his conver- 
sation, were apparent to the last. 

]t was in the seventy-fourth year of his age, on the 80th 
of July, A. D. L718, that this great and good man departed 
to his rest, without pain or regret — regretted by all. 

Among the expressions of sorrow for this event, was the 
affecting address of condolence of the Indians of Pennsylva- 
nia to the widow, with the accompanying present of furs and 
skins, to form, as they said, a garment for traveling through 
a ihormj wilder7iess,repTesent'mg by this symbol, the difficul- 
ties in her path, and their wish that she might pass through 
them in safety. 

Such was William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania ; a 
Christian wearing the broad mantle of universal charity, a 
sincere lover of his race, an advocate and defender of the 
largest liberty consistent with the order and happiness of 
society. He was a true, constant, and never-failing friend, 
an excellent son, a most tender husband, the best of fathers, 
a loyal subject, a profound legislator, a wise, just, and gener- 
ous ruler of his people. 

In the whole range of biography, we may seek in vain 
for a gentler spirit, combined with unswerving loyalty to 
principle, for a greater measure of human kindness united to 
matchless wisdom and a determined will to do justice, though 
the heavens fall, for a more genial temper blended with firm 
resolve, and a courage unmoved by the frowns of power or 
the fury of wicked men. 

The finest intellects have done homage to his virtues and 
character. Dr. Marsillac, before the National Assembly of 
France in 1791, said : "After so many acts of violence and 
oppression, so many robberies and murders, committed by 
the Europeans in the New World, the heart finds some con- 
solation in pausing over the part which William Penn acted 
there. Like an angel from heaven, he presented the olive 
branch to those afflicted people, and by acts of godlike jus- 
tice laid the foundation of extensive liberty and happiness. 
He was, perhaps, the first that ever built one of the fairest 



(38) 

empires of the world on the sole basis of general good ; and 
bj assuring universal toleration and community of rights, 
offered a happy asylum to persecuted innocence throughout 
the earth. Despising, on the one hand, all the pomps of the 
falsely great, and filling up life, on the other, with the most 
beneficent labors, he came to the grave in a good old age, 
eulogized by the greatest philosophers, honored above the 
proudest kings, and to this day revered by the Indians, as a 
benevolent spirit sent down from heaven to establish the 
reign of peace and happiness below." 

President Montesquieu said of him : " A very honest legis- 
lator has formed a people to whom probity seems as natural 
as bravery to the Spartans. William Penn is a real Lycur- 
gus ; and though, the former made peace his principal aim, 
as the latter did war, yet they resemble one another, in the 
ascendant they gained over freemen, in the prejudices they 
overcame, and in the passions they subdued." 

The celebrated Edmund Burke said : " 'Tis pleasing to do 
honor to those great men, whose virtues and generosity have 
contributed to the peopling of the earth and to the freedom 
and happiness of mankind. William Penn, as a legislator, 
deserves great honor among all men. He created a Common- 
wealth which, from a few hundreds of indigent refugees, has 
in seventy years grown to a numerous and flourishing peo- 
ple. But what crowned all, was the noble charter of privi- 
leges, by which he made them more free, perhaps, than any 
people on earth, and which, by securing both civil and re- 
ligious liberty, caused the eyes of the oppressed from all 
parts of the world, to look to his country for relief. This one 
act of godlike wisdom and goodness, has settled Peun's coun- 
try in a more strong and permanent manner than the wisest 
regulations could have done on any other plan." 

" His name," says Bancroft, the historian, " was sacredly 
cherished as a household word in the Cottages of Wales and 
Ireland, and among the peasantry of Germany; and not a ten- 
ant of a wigwam from the sea to the Susquehanna, doubted 
his integrity. His fame is now wide as the world ; he is one 
of the few Avho have gained abiding glory." 



(39) 

Even Macaulay, in contradiction to his " counterfeit pre- 
sentment" of "William Penn, gives the following as the ap- 
proved picture : " Eival nations and hostile sects have agreed 
ill canonizing him. England is proud of his name. A great 
Commonwealth beyond the Atlantic regards him with a rev- 
erence similar to that which the Athenians felt for Theseus, 
and the Eomans for Quirinus. The respectable Society of 
which he was a member, honors him as an apostle. By pious 
men of other persuasions, he is generally regarded as a 
bright pattern of Christian virtue. Meanwhile, admirers of 
a very different sort have sounded his praises. The French 
philosophers of the eighteenth century have pardoned what 
they regarded as his superstitious fancies,, in consideration 
of his contempt for priests, and of his cosmopolitan benevo- 
lence, extended to all races and all creeds. His name has 
thus become, throughout all civilized countries, a synonym 
for probity and philanthropy. 

Nor is this high reputation altogether unmerited. Penn 
was without doubt a man of eminent virtues. He had a 
strong sense of religious duty, and a fervent desire to pro- 
mote the happiness of mankind. On one or two points of 
high importance, he had notions more correct than were in 
his day common, even among men of enlarged minds ; and 
as the proprietor and legislator of a province which, being 
almost uninhabited when it came into his possession, afforded 
a clear field for moral experiments, he had the rare good for- 
tune of being able to carry his theories into practice without 
any compromise, and yet without any shock to existing in- 
stitutions. He will always be mentioned with honor as the 
founder of a colony, who did not, in his dealings with a sav- 
age people, abuse the strength derived from civilization, and 
as a lawgiver, who, in an age of persecution, made religious 
liberty the corner-stone of a polity." 



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